I drift silently in the air, gazing down at Lan Yin. His golden eyes glare at me, brimming with hostility.
"Old Tom, what exactly is happening?"
I asked urgently. Something was off about Lan Yin—his entire being radiated a chilling, murderous intent as his eyes bore into me.
I watched Old Tom sitting solemnly atop the Trial Marriage Stone. The whole stone was now wrapped in a pale blue, membrane-like aura.
"Qingyuan, this young man has absorbed something that was just released—perhaps you could call it Hades' Will. You need to be careful. I'm searching for a way to break it."
After Old Tom called out, he closed his eyes, one hand resting on his Cat-Headed Cane, his brow furrowed in concentration.
"I... am not being controlled, Ethan Zhang."
Lan Yin suddenly spoke. I looked at him, but his eyes were still filled with a murderous intent toward me.
"Then what exactly is going on?"
"What did you do on the Ten Tribunals Road? What did you see?"
I stared at Lan Yin in shock. It was as if he was suppressing something, his body leaning forward ever so slightly.
"The Ninefold Abyss of the Underworld—what exactly is hidden there?"
I asked. Suddenly, Lan Yin unfurled his black wings and lunged at me. Without thinking, I unleashed lethal energy, shaping it into a sword and swung at the oncoming Lan Yin.
With a sharp snap, Lan Yin caught my sword of lethal energy in one hand. The blade instantly dissolved. His right hand pressed against my chest, sending ripples of black light across my skin. I could feel an overwhelming power surging within me.
I had to dodge—this was the only thought in my mind. With a bang, I stared in disbelief as the space in front of Lan Yin shattered like broken glass, black cracks spreading outwards. The fierce aura hit me head-on, nearly forcing my eyes shut.
Behind me stood a figure—it must have been Tong Ghost. He grabbed my collar with one hand.
"Watch out, kid. You almost got yourself killed."
Tong Ghost spoke, then immediately dissolved into wisps of black mist and vanished. I silently watched Lan Yin.
"You mentioned your purpose for coming here before, Ethan Zhang."
"That's right—to reclaim my wife."
I shouted in reply, and Lan Yin burst into wild laughter.
"It's hopeless. Since you've seen my memories, you should understand why we of the Hades Circle cannot unite with outsiders. What do you intend to do?"
I clenched my fists, silent. At that moment, John Chou's voice echoed over.
"Brother, let him see for himself what kind of existence you truly are. Let the people of the Hades Circle witness the nature of your heart!"
It was despair. In that instant, I felt it—the deep, suffocating despair emanating from Lan Yin.
"Come, Ethan Zhang. Let me see the true strength of your will."
I nodded. By now, I could sense that Lan Yin's will was being manipulated by some force. I had witnessed his instinct before—its name was despair.
I spread my arms wide. Streams of lethal energy slowly flowed from my hands, gradually taking my form—my two ghostly souls, Tong Ghost and Resentful Ghost.
In an instant, on my left side where Resentful Ghost stood, waves of resentful energy mingled with lethal energy, rapidly chilling the surrounding space. Black ice crystals began to drift downward.
From Lan Yin's body, I seemed to hear waves of mournful cries. These cries came from the Power of the Four Sacred Beasts—the lament of the Four Sacred Beasts. I had heard three of the Thirteen Fates mention it before in Lan Yin's memories.
At that moment, a Black Dragon appeared on Lan Yin's body, coiling around his neck and slithering around him. Lan Yin reached out, and the dragon gradually approached his outstretched hand, settling atop his right palm and opening its mouth.
My eyes widened, and the other Soul Collectors present all fixed their gazes on Lan Yin, astonished by what they saw.
It was Dragon's Roar—a black Dragon's Roar spat forth from the Black Dragon's mouth. Lan Yin gripped it in his hand, and instantly, a crackling sound erupted as black lightning danced across its surface.
"What's happening?" Jason Su cried out in shock.
"You've never seen this before, have you? The power of the Four Sacred Beasts can manifest as black or white depending on the user. Most who wield it do so with reverence for the Four Sacred Beasts, and their power is pure. But I'm different. Under my instinct, the power of the Four Sacred Beasts is only despair..."
As Lan Yin spoke, he suddenly charged at me with Dragon's Roar raised. I reacted instantly, transforming into a cloud of mist, and my two ghostly souls vanished into the air.
The black Dragon's Roar stabbed into the black mist I had conjured. Instantly, I felt a wave of numbness as streaks of black lightning burst in all directions.
Struck, I reverted to my true form and plummeted to the ground. With a heavy thud, I crashed down, and a black, dragon-shaped current of electricity followed, striking at me relentlessly.
I quickly raised a hand, and Resentful Ghost instantly appeared before me. The black mist swirling in the air condensed into a solid block of black ice.
With a bang, the lightning struck the ice, shattering it into fragments right before my eyes.